Tenant screening services are used by landlords, property managers and Realtors to assess whether or not someone is qualified to rent an apartment. We looked at the most popular options and rising stars and decided to review them based on their pricing and features. The best option is going to be affordable and offer flexible plans to help meet your needs.
If you’re looking for a tenant screening service with live, in-person help, you might want to check out RentPrep. They’re a great service for landlords who want a dedicated person who can verify key renter information so they can make a more informed decision as a landlord. Check them out today – they offer one of the lowest starting prices in the industry.
Top 6 Tenant Screening Services
| Tenant Screening Services | |
|---|---|
| MyRental | Best overall, featuring a good suite of screening options and reasonable pricing. |
| RentPrep | Ideal for landlords who want certified live screeners who can verify key information. |
| LeaseRunner | Most flexible option, with an a la carte plan where users can choose what they need from several rigorous reports. |
| TurboTenant | All-in-one platform for landlords because you can also post your rental listing on its site. |
| National Tenant Network | A scored report from 0-100 that’s easy to read and includes a recommendation. |
| My Smart Move | An alternative tenant screening service to MyRental. |
How We Determined the Best Tenant Screening Services
Landlords, investors and real estate agents are all looking for online tools to screen prospective tenants efficiently. Specifically, they look for tenant screening services that can run background checks, check previous landlord history and pull credit reports. Further, the top services need to be national so they can service the widest customer base.
We looked at the following criteria to determine the top tenant screening services:
- Pricing: Pricing for individual tenant screening, a la carte services and plans
- Unique features: This is what sets each company apart and gives them a competitive edge
- Credit reporting methods: This is how the tenant screening company obtains the tenant’s FICO score and is usually from one of the three major credit bureaus
- Criminal background checks: Shows the tenant’s past convictions in one or multiple states so you know who is living in your property
- Landlord, residence and eviction history: Provides addresses and time frames for the tenant’s residence history and if an eviction was filed
- Income and employment verification: This helps verify the tenants’ employment and their income to see if they can afford to rent your unit
Based on the criteria above, our recommendation for the best overall tenant screening service is MyRental because it offers different plans for a variety of screening needs. Its plans have a low starting price point of $19.95, which makes them affordable for new landlords. However, credit reporting isn’t included in its entry-level plan.
Best Overall Tenant Screening Service: MyRental
MyRental offers a well-rounded set of plans at affordable prices. Plans begin at $19.95, and all provide more comprehensive reporting than either RentPrep or LeaseRunner at the same tiers. That makes it good for landlords who are budget-conscious but also want robust features. This is the only tenant screening service on our list that automatically generates FCRA-compliant adverse action letters if the applicant is denied based on information supplied.
MyRental Tiered Pricing & Features at a Glance
| Pricing | |||
| Credit Reporting | |||
| Criminal Background Check | |||
| Landlord, Prior Residence & Eviction Checks | |||
| Income & Employment Verification | |||
| Adverse Action Letter Created |
Basic Plan
The Basic plan is $19.95 and covers previous address and eviction history, multi-state criminal background check, including sex offender registries and federal terrorist watch list reporting. That pricing does not include credit reporting or income verification, which are both available at the next tier. Court records are utilized to search for failure to pay rent notices, judgment for rent and evictions.
Premium Plan
The Premium plan adds in credit reporting, income and employment verification and the option of tenants paying for their own screening. Plan price is $29.99. MyRental currently gets its credit reporting from TransUnion, one of the three major credit reporting agencies. It’s a soft pull so it won’t ding applicants’ credit scores. Raw credit data is presented in the form of a reader-friendly risk score to help you discern the applicant’s potential.
Premium Plus Plan
The Premium Plus plan is $34.99 and adds in a graphical representation of the applicant’s credit, comparing it to local averages as well as all of the offerings of the two other plans. Slightly more information is provided with Premium Plus but income-related information is currently limited across the board for MyRental.
MyRental Unique Features
A unique feature is that the company generates adverse action letters automatically if an applicant is turned down because of the data uncovered. That is something no other provider offers and means that the landlord or manager doesn’t have to create those letters manually or even need to know what to put in them, which saves time.
Customer Service
MyRental offers online customer support through a live online chat and it has a dedicated support number at 877-496-3352. If you choose to sign up for a plan you will be able to email customer service with questions from your account as well.
What’s Missing with MyRental
MyRental is missing credit reporting in its basic plan level. However, this is standard with tenant screening services and none of our top services offer credit reporting at every level. Also, if you would like to have a human involved in the tenant screening service, then you should go with RentPrep or National Tenant Network.
Where to Get MyRental
You can sign-up for MyRental online and start screening tenants within a few minutes, which makes it a convenient tenant screening option. Check it out to determine who your tenants are and what their payment history has been before you rent a unit to them.
Best Human-Assisted Tenant Screening Service: RentPrep
RentPrep stands out because it’s the only company besides National Tenant Network which utilizes certified agents to assist with searches where databases come up short. Even with the live screeners, pricing is comparable to the others, with plans ranging from $18.95 to $35. This service is right for landlords who want the added security that a person is reviewing the screening results.
RentPrep Tiered Pricing & Features Table
| Pricing | ||||
| Credit Reporting | ||||
| Criminal Background Check | ||||
| Landlord, Prior Residence, & Eviction Checks | ||||
| Income & Employment Verification | ||||
| Judgment, Lien & Bankruptcies |
Basic Plan
This is the lowest price of any provider at $18.95. However, it’s a fairly robust offering with Social Security number verification, address history, national eviction data and information on judgments, liens and bankruptcies. Employment verification and criminal history are not provided with this plan and, if credit reporting is desired, it’s an additional $9.95.
Pro Plan
This plan is $22.95 and adds criminal background reporting that includes checking sex offender registries and Homeland Security watches. Credit reporting is an additional $9.95 on top of that.
Platinum Plan
The platinum plan costs $34.95 and adds telephone verification of current address, employer and income. Credit reports are still additional. With the Platinum plan, live screeners will telephone landlords to verify current and prior addresses and the nature of the applicant’s tenancy. Information is reasonably extensive including obtaining answers to questions from landlords such as “would you rent to the applicant again?”
Smart Move Plan
This plan is $35. Full credit reporting is part of that plan but, ironically, users lose the judgments and liens search and each of the telephone-initiated verifications. This is the only plan where there’s an option for the applicant to pay. Like MyRental, RentPrep also uses TransUnion for its credit reporting. FICO scores are provided in addition to basic information from the TransUnion report to help readers understand the information. Credit reports will be a hard pull if landlord initiated but a soft pull if the tenant pays and initiates the screening.
RentPrep Unique Features
It offers live screeners so someone is actually calling to verify a piece of information, rather than relying on the Internet. Its other unique feature is that it has a no-nonsense approach to Federal Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) compliance. It is the one company that seems to give prominence to knowing the laws and taking proactive measures to stay within them. That equates to keeping landlords and property managers in compliance and out of trouble.
Customer Service
You can chat with a RentPrep tenant screener online for general questions. It also has a dedicated customer service line at 888-877-8501. Its certified tenant screeners are located in its New York office.
What’s Missing With RentPrep
Automatically generated adverse action letters are not available with RentPrep, but clients do have access to FCRA-compliant templates to use. If you want an adverse action letter, then we recommend you use MyRental.
Where to Get RentPrep
You can get started with RentPrep online and start screening tenants in just a few minutes. It prides itself on using humans to assist in its tenant screening services. If this is important to you, contact the company today to start screening your tenants.
Most Flexible Tenant Screening Service: LeaseRunner
LeaseRunner is not plan-based; instead, it offers an a la carte menu where you pick and choose the reports you want. The value stems from that flexibility. Each of LeaseRunner’s individual reports is more rigorous than the equivalent provided by the other screening services. However, if you request all the possible reports, LeaseRunner comes in at the most expensive. LeaseRunner is right for landlords who want to pick and choose what screening services they want.
LeaseRunner Pricing
LeaseRunner pricing is not plan-based. Instead, it’s all a la carte and landlords can select what reports they want to utilize. It’s important to note that if every package report was chosen, the total cost would be $57 per applicant, making LeaseRunner the most expensive at the high end of the scale. Depending on the need, single reporting can make this the least expensive option.
The pricing structure for LeaseRunner, by report, is as follows:
- Credit report is $20 and provided by Experian, which includes previous address verification along with current employer verification
- Criminal report is $15, which covers all 50 states, sex offender registries and federal terrorist watch lists
- Financial report is $10, which provides bank account information including balances, deposit and withdrawal information that can aid in income verification and in determining whether the applicant can afford your rent
- Eviction report for $12, which is nationwide and will even indicate if property damage judgments were filed
LeaseRunner Features
LeaseRunner offers a la carte reports that are actually a part of a large suite of offerings that include everything from rental applications to online rent collection. In essence, the tenant screening tools are just a part of a larger property management software package that’s helpful for new and experienced landlords. It doesn’t offer plans like MyRental, RentPrep and My SmartMove. LeaseRunner offers several features.
Credit Reporting Methods
LeaseRunner uses Experian for its credit reporting. The applicant authorizes the screening so it’s considered a soft pull. LeaseRunner’s reporting utilizes VantageScore 3.0, which is a competitor to the FICO scoring system and intended to provide more useful data than raw credit file information. LeaseRunner does not automatically generate adverse action letters but does supply FCRA-compliant templates for clients to use.
Criminal Background Checks
LeaseRunner’s criminal background report provides criminal records from all 50 states and Washington, D.C. Prison records, watch lists, sex offender information, parole and probation records and terror watch list reporting make its criminal background reporting among the most robust of all the providers.
Landlord, Prior Residence & Eviction Checks
LeaseRunner provides a nationwide search for up to 10 prior addresses and up to seven years of information with the eviction report option. Court actions, judgments and even property damage claims are all tracked. Because LeaseRunner is not plan-based and reports are ordered individually, ancillary information, such as Social Security number verification or bank account data that could be helpful in determining address history only come with additional reports purchased.
Income and Employment Verifications
LeaseRunner offers the Financial Profile report which contains the tenant’s bank balances, deposits and withdrawals to help develop a profile of what the applicant’s income appears to be. Credit reporting will also provide information, such as current and previous employer and sources of income.
LeaseRunner Unique Features
Its unique feature is that you don’t have to sign up for a subscription. Instead, you can choose just one type of screening that you want, pay for it and be finished. For example, you may not require a credit check and may just want a criminal background check or vice versa. It also offers online tenant applications, similar to TurboTenant.
LeaseRunner Customer Service
If you have immediate questions you can call LeaseRunner’s customer service number at 303-468-8018. Its customer service team is based in Colorado. It can also be reached via email directly from the site.
What LeaseRunner is Missing
LeaseRunner is missing the affordability of some of the other tenant screening services. If you want all of its tenant screening services it will cost you $57 which is much more than MyRental’s top cost of $34.99. If you’re looking for multiple services, it’s more economical to choose another service like MyRental or My SmartMove.
Where to Get LeaseRunner
Once you’ve signed up for LeaseRunner online, you’ll receive an email confirming your subscription immediately. You can start screening tenants online within a few minutes of subscribing.
Best All-in-One Platform for Landlords: TurboTenant
TurboTenant is not just a tenant screening service, but it’s also a platform where you can post your rental listing and it will be marketed across dozens of sites. The tenants can fill out a rental application online and then it will screen them for you. Unlike MyRental, TurboTenant doesn’t have subscription packages to choose from, but there is a cost to run and screen a rental application of $35-$45 per application. This site is right for landlords, Realtors and property managers who want to come to a single site to screen an applicant and post their listing.
TurboTenant Pricing
The site itself is free to sign up and free to post your rental listings but there’s a charge for each screening. It offers free property fliers and a free Craigslist poster template. The tenant or the landlord can pay the screening fee directly on the site. If the tenants pay their own application fee, the service is essentially free for the landlord.
Its pricing breaks down as follows:
- $35 per tenant screening, which includes a credit report and criminal background check
- $45 per tenant screening if you want an eviction report included with the credit and criminal background checks
TurboTenant Features
TurboTenant is a platform for landlords, property managers and Realtors to use to screen tenants and market their rental listings. It offers similar features to National Tenant Network and LeaseRunner since neither offer tiered plans but, instead, all of its features are a la carte. One of its best features is that you can have the tenant fill out the application online and pay for the screening. TurboTenant offers the following features.
Credit Reporting Methods
TurboTenant uses a soft credit pull method so it doesn’t impact the tenant’s FICO score. The report lists the tenant’s FICO score and the factors that are included in determining the score like number of accounts and payment history. The company uses TransUnion to run the tenant’s credit report.
Criminal Background Checks
Unlike National Tenant Network, it conducts a comprehensive and nationwide background check for each tenant. It’s automatically included in the tenant screening fee, which appears underneath the credit report.
Landlord, Prior Residence & Eviction Checks
TurboTenant only includes an eviction report if you choose the $45 tenant screening option. Otherwise, an eviction check isn’t included. It includes the tenant’s prior residence and public records to show if any landlord-tenant related cases are outstanding.
Income and Employment Verifications
This is where TurboTenant falls short. It doesn’t provide any type of income verification. It simply recommends that you verify the income and current employment with the tenant’s employer. It doesn’t offer live screeners so it’s up to you to call the tenant’s employer, collect pay stubs and so on.
TurboTenant Unique Features
TurboTenant is similar to National Tenant Network and LeaseRunner in that you can choose to only pay for what you use. However, its unique feature is that it’s not just a tenant screening service. You can use it to post your rental listings and create flyers for your rental units. You can also have the tenant fill out the application on its site directly.
Customer Service
TurboTenant has the most ways to contact customer support out of all six of the tenant screening services. You just click on a button for a live chat to call its Colorado-based customer support team or to email them. You can also look at its FAQ forum.
What’s Missing With TurboTenant
TurboTenant is missing tiers or plans that offer different services for one fee. Everything with TurboTenant is a la carte, so if you want to sign up for a tiered plan, then you’re better off choosing MyRental, RentPrep or My SmartMove.
Where to Get TurboTenant
You can sign up for TurboTenant online and start screening tenants within a few minutes which is similar to the five other best tenant screening services. However, the only way to contact TurboTenant is through a contact form on its website.
Best Tenant Screening Service with a Point System: National Tenant Network
National Tenant Network is a tenant screening service, similar to LeaseRunner, because it doesn’t have subscription levels, but it’s different from all of the other tenant screening services because it operates on a point scale. The company screens the tenant and gives you a score from 0-100 based off of their debt, income, credit report and eviction history. National Tenant Network is right for landlords or property managers who want tenant recommendations without the guesswork.
National Tenant Network Pricing
National Tenant Network is similar to LeaseRunner because it offers a la carte services. You pay a one-time subscription fee of $35 and then pay for just the services that you need each time you want to use them. However, if you own multiple properties you can call for a package deal.
National Tenant’s pricing structure is as follows:
- One-time fee: $35 to subscribe
- Decision point: $22 per search, which gives you an overall score from 0-100 and rental analysis results based on the tenant’s income and credit profile
- Tenant performance report: $10 per search, which verifies the tenant’s Social Security number and shows any history of lease violations
- County criminal search: $25 per search
- Multi-state criminal search: $35 per search
National Tenant Network Features
National Tenant Network is different than the other 5 tenant screening services because its features don’t include a credit report. Instead, it provides a score from 0-100 which is based on comprehensive tenant information including criminal background, income verification and eviction checks. It analyzes the same data as the other top screeners but presents it in a scored format with a recommendation to accept the tenant or to deny them. National Tenant Network offers the following features.
Credit Reporting Methods
As we mentioned before National Tenant Network doesn’t use the traditional credit reporting methods. You don’t actually see the tenants’ credit report. Instead, you see a score from 1-100 and then you see a recommendation to approve them or deny them based off of the information in the report. You also have access to a report saying how much they owe in certain categories, such as student loans, credit cards and medical bills. It doesn’t send out an adverse action letter but does provide the landlord with a template to use.
Criminal Background Checks
It offers two types of criminal background checks. The first is just in the county the tenant resides in and the second is a more comprehensive background check that spans multiple states. These records are reviewed by trained staff to ensure an identity match.
Landlord, Prior Residence & Eviction Checks
It offers verification services by its trained staff, so someone will call and verify their past residences, previous landlords and rental payment history, if applicable. It also pulls eviction records on each tenant by scouring through the landlord-tenant and eviction court records and will provide the case’s date, amount owed and final outcome.
Income and Employment Verifications
National Tenant Network also offer verification services to verify the tenant’s current and previous employers as well as past and present income. If you want to purchase verification services as a package, you need to contact the company directly.
National Tenant Unique Features
National Tenant Network is unique because, unlike the other five tenant screening services, you don’t actually see the tenant’s credit report. Instead, you receive a score from 1-100 based on the tenants’ overall financial standing, including their income, eviction history and credit history. The report will list the score and then will have a recommendation whether you should accept the tenant or not. The report is easy to read and it’s helpful that you have an overall picture of the tenant upfront before you dive into reading about their background.
Customer Service
National Tenant Network has 35 regional offices and can be contacted directly through the site. It also has a list of phone numbers for each office. For more general questions, you can contact the company through the site or look under the FAQ section.
What National Tenant Network is Missing
National Tenant Network is missing a credit report on each tenant. Unlike MyRental and My SmartMove, it doesn’t give you an option of plans to choose from, and you don’t have access to the tenant’s actual FICO score.
Where to Find National Tenant Network
You can easily find National Tenant Network online where you can sign up for the service and start screening tenants within a few minutes. Once the screening is finished, you will receive an emailed copy of the report for your records or in case you need to share it with the property owner.
Best Alternative Tenant Screening Service to MyRental: My SmartMove
My SmartMove is a superb alternative to MyRental. It offers three different tiered plans with prices ranging from $25-$40 per applicant. My SmartMove also offers an additional feature with all of its plans called a credit based resident score, which gives an overall tenant score developed by TransUnion. MySmartMove is ideal for landlords and property managers who trust the company due to its affiliation with TransUnion or who want an alternative to MyRental.
My SmartMove Tiered Pricing & Features Table
| Pricing | |||
| Full Credit Reporting | |||
| Credit Based Resident Score | |||
| Criminal Background Check | |||
| Landlord, Prior Residence & Eviction Checks | |||
| Income Insights |
SmartCheck Basic Plan
The SmartCheck Basic plan is $25 per applicant and gives a credit based resident score along with a recommendation by TransUnion of whether or not you should accept the applicant. This plan also gives you a nationwide criminal background check but doesn’t give a full credit report.
SmartCheck Basic Plus Plan
The SmartCheck Basic Plus plan is $38 per applicant. Along with the features of the Basic plan, the Basic Plus plan offers full credit reporting on each tenant based on data from TransUnion. The credit report is a “soft pull” on the tenant’s credit report since the tenant is required to authorize it. This plan also offers landlord, prior residence and eviction checks, which includes a national eviction report. This is ideal if you have a tenant who has moved around frequently.
SmartCheck Premium Plan
The SmartCheck Premium plan is the top plan and is priced at $40 per applicant. In addition to the offerings of the other two plans, it also offers something called “Income Insights.” These are additional verifications that My SmartMove does to see if the tenants’ income is what they are reporting it is. It will review online records, financial behavior and all income sources, and then will make a recommendation if the tenant should provide additional proof of income.
SmartCheck Unique Features
My SmartMove offers the credit based resident score as its unique feature. It’s a score given to each applicant from TransUnion based on an analysis of more than 500,000 resident records. Similar to National Tenant Network, it gives the property manager or landlord a recommendation to accept the tenants or deny them.
Customer Service
My SmartMove doesn’t offer telephone support but does have a contact form that you can fill out on its site. It also has an FAQ section.
What My SmartMove is Missing
A landlord or property manager can’t screen the tenants themselves on My SmartMove. Instead, they enter all necessary information and have the option of paying the fee. Then, the tenants have to enter their own personal information to authorize the tenant’s criminal and credit reports. This can be time-consuming if the tenant doesn’t do this promptly.
Where to Find My SmartMove
You can sign up for My SmartMove online and start screening tenants within a few minutes, which is common among all six of the top tenant screening services. All of My SmartMove’s credit reporting data is provided directly by TransUnion.
The Bottom Line
Tenant screening services help landlords, Realtors and property management firms run credit reports, conduct background and eviction checks as well as verify employment and income. This helps you assess whether applicants are qualified to rent a house or an apartment. The best tenant screening service will depend on your unique needs.
At $18.95, RentPrep is a great tenant screening option with an inexpensive starting price tag. It’s a terrific service for landlords who want a dedicated person who can verify key renter information so you can make a more informed decision. Check it out today.
Martin Medenica
Hey Allison,
Nice work! For the updated version of the article I suggest including whether applicants can initiate the screening themselves or if the landlord/property manager is required to initiate the process from the service providers website. Sending a link is much easier and faster and there is less frustration if an applicant decides to not move forward with the screening.
Best,
-Martin
Kateryna Ivanchenko
Guys, really really check your tenants before to rent your property! The best suggestion ever!
Not far ago I gave an apt for the good-looking businessman with nice smile, calm character etc. In one week my neighbors started to call a police each night as that guy gave my apt to his friends who used it for drunk parties with prostitutes. After 1,5 month they stayed there I had to make a new design. The bed was broken, the white ceiling was in red wine etc. Checking him afterward I get know that he had a lot of scandals before as with tenants, as with colleagues, as with competitors…
Dont repeat my mistake! Read this article carefully and follow the instructions.
P.S. Personally I used https://www.spokeo.com/ which also not listed here. Maybe someone would like it 😉
Allison Bethell
Hi Kateryna:
Thank you so much for checking out our site and commenting on the article. I’m glad you enjoyed it. You’re correct, it’s important to properly screen tenants before accepting them as tenants in your rental property. Thanks for letting us know what service you used, we will check them out and consider them as a company to include when we update the article. Check out our other real estate investing articles for more fresh content.
All the best,
Allison
Vitaliy Merkulov
Landlord reference checks are also a huge part of tenant screening process. I would recommend reviewing RenterInc.com for online landlord reference checks.
I don’t see TenantCloud on the list. I’ve used them before and I like their tenant screening.
Allison Bethell
Hi Vitaliy:
Thanks for reading the article. Great suggestions, landlord reference checks are indeed important. We will check out TenantCloud and consider adding them when we update the article.
All the best,
Allison
Krystallin
Great article! TurboTenant is another one to consider. We have been growing fast with really solid features. Our software is 100 percent free for landlords, no cap on the number of units. We provide online marketing, rental applications, and tenant screening.
Ian Atkins
Hi Krystallin, Thanks for chiming in! When we update the article we’ll be sure and consider you. Best, Ian
Domenick
Bill/FSB – Thanks for the awesome review! Very helpful indeed.
I use Cozy who uses the Chekr service. There isn’t much information on how Chekr works and if it’s a quality screening service. I was wondering if you came across any info on Chekr in your article research.
Thanks again.
Ian Atkins
Hi Domenick,
Thanks for the question. When we update this article (or maybe before then) we’ll take a closer look at the ins-and-outs or Chekr and get back to you.
Best,
Ian